However, Howerton has finally ended fan speculation about his possible exit by confirming in a new interview that Dennis would indeed be a part of It’s Always Sunny‘s 13th season.

“I would like to dispel any rumours that I left It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to do [new NBC show] A.P. Bio. They are two completely different projects,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“We’re currently discussing what we want to do next season [of It’s Always Sunny], but we haven’t started the writers’ room yet. So I haven’t left It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The conversation really should be about what’s going to happen with Dennis, not what’s going to happen with me, and that’s something we don’t have an answer to yet.”

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Asked about how the show might be affected by Dennis potentially moving away from Philadelphia, Howerton admitted that the It’s Always Sunny showrunners were keen on “mixing things up”.

“We put the characters through things that will actually affect the rest of their lives, by Mac finally coming out of the closet and by having Dennis leave at the end of season 12,” he said. “So it was a creative decision.. and it also potentially afforded me the opportunity to free myself up to do some other work.”

The 13th season of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is currently expected to arrive in the autumn.